DIALOGUE

CONTINUES

Dialogue
with academics and students of Vidyavihar University

   An unscheduled meeting was organised, within the space of four days, at the University of Vidyavihar, Mumbai, by Professor Kala Acharya who had met Chiara Lubich in Coimbatore with whom she felt an immediate rapport. Professor Acharya is the Director of the Institute of Culture and Research at the Somaiya University; she has a deep interest in interreligious and has been received twice in audience by Pope John Paul II.
   Through her personal meeting with Chiara, Professor Acharya felt the urge to open up a wide-ranging dialogue with the Focolare Movement in the framework of the many inter-cultural meetings already promoted by her Institute.
   On 12^th January, 600 people, many of whom from the academic body, gathered in a marquee on the university campus. Chiara was given an unexpected and cordial welcome by the President of the University, Dr Shantilal Somaiya, son of the University’s founder and by the Deans of various faculties who welcomed her with gifts and garlands of flowers.
   After the prayers, recited by the faithful of the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Christian religions, Chiara gave a keynote talk entitled "A spirituality for a universal fraternity" which had a strong impact on the audience. Dr Vinu Aram, who had come on purpose for the occasion from Coimbatore, gave her personal testimony on the warm welcome Chiara received in her city from the Gandhian organizations and qualified representatives of Tamil Hinduism.
   A lawyer and university professor, said: "This is my first contact with the movement and I have been very inspired by the talks of Chiara Lubich. She summed up in an exceptional way the entire thinking of this country which has been elaborated over many centuries. We believe in the unity and the diversity of religions and cultures, but the concept underlying everything is unity and universal fraternity. Her message will be deeply valued by the masses in this country."
   A professor from the institute of technology commented: "Today’s meeting has made a great impact on me. If we travel along this pathway, I’m sure that together we will achieve something important for our lives".
   Dr Somaiya, President of the University, said: "This has been a remarkable experience, especially uplifting spiritually. We hope to have further meetings to continue this dialogue."

Meeting with the Bishops Conference of the Latin Rite

Visit to the Tomb of Mother Teresa

   Since the theme of the Plenary Assembly of the Episcopal Conference held in Calcutta from 10-13 January was "The Laity for a Church-Communion", Chiara Lubich was invited to give her experience which was focussed mainly on the spirituality of unity that animates the Movement.
   This gave her the opportunity to share with the bishops her joy at having found an important confirmation of this experience in the recently-published Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father. This letter expresses the hope that the whole Church in the third millennium may be imbued with a new dynamism flowing from a spirituality of communion.
   The bishops responded warmly to Chiara’s experience of interreligious dialogue within the Movement. It appeared to them a hitherto unexplored way.
   Particularly appreciated was the approach to dialogue based above all on love, and the proposal of a living theology which, they said, fulfils the needs of both evangelisation and dialogue. It is difficult to make objections when the message being given is a genuine experience of Christian life, inherently expressing all the truths of our faith, and when it expresses sincere appreciation for those seeds of the Word which are to be found in abundance in the ancient and rich Hindu tradition.
   Mons. Aloysius P. D’Sousa, Bishop of Mangalore, commented: "I think that Chiara’s message is very important and timely for our nation, which is going through a moment of resurgence of religious fundamentalism."
   Mons. Patrick Nair of Meerut said: "Hers are not just words, but a theology that is lived. That’s why they have the effect that they do because love is the most important thing, especially in a country like ours where there is so much diversity."
   And Bishop Telesphore Toppo from Ranchi: "This has been a fundamental milestone for the Church in India."

   On the previous day Chiara had visited the tomb of Mother Teresa. On that occasion Sister Nirmala, Superior of the Order, asked Chiara to speak to the Missionary Sisters of Charity of Calcutta. The 300 sisters present were very happy to experience the friendship between the two charisms and to hear Chiara's remembrances of Mother Teresa.